MTU Maintenance Canada has taken possession of a brownfield site adding capacity to the Vancouver operations. The building is located next to Boundary Bay airport, in the Vancouver suburb of Delta and was originally designed and operated as a maintenance facility for helicopters and helicopter engines. The facility will immediately provide much-needed additional expansion space of around 60%. Following minor modifications by year-end, it also enables MTU Maintenance Canada to consolidate all of its repair activates, currently spread across three locations at Vancouver airport, into one location.
The facility in Delta offers 235,000 ft² of space and is within thirty minutes of Vancouver airport. As the Boundary Bay building was already constructed for aviation activities, MTU Maintenance Canada will be able to continue upholding its highest standards and only needs to carry out minimal changes to the existing infrastructure.
All modifications and upgrades will be performed from Summer 2019 onwards and partial operations in the new facility could begin as early as Spring 2020. The move is expected to be fully completed one year later, with all aspects of the business relocated, and under one roof by June 2021. This staggered approach will support the number one priority set by the project team: no operational impact through the transition. Testing activities will continue to be carried out in the existing test cell at Vancouver airport.